Klarinet Archive - Posting 000092.txt from 2005/11

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass Clarinet Tuning Question
Date: Mon, 07 Nov 2005 14:00:46 -0500

In a message dated 11/7/2005 12:22:31 PM Central Standard Time,
joseph.wakeling@-----.net writes:
OK, but the latter is a consequence of the former, surely .... ? If you
wanted to build a bass from scratch to play at A440 you could do so.
>>

We do not know why the clarinet makers do what they do, or why they do it.

One guess is that many bass clarinets beginners start with a soft reed and a
weak embouchure, and thus play flat - so the clarinet designers build a sharp
bass clarinet to compensate.

However, probably nobody really knows. The fact is, sharpness plagues most
bass clarinets. Perhaps, in a world where the standard is supposed to be 440,
but few actually play there, it's just easier to make an instrument that
really tunes best at 442?

Also, here's another thought, in the REAL world of orchestral playing and
pit work, the bass clarinet is often picked up COLD and must join in. Perhaps
it is better to have an instrument that cold, can still play at 440. Nothing
worse than picking up a cold instrument and be so far below the pitch that
even with lipping up, you can't match pitch.

Walter Grabner
www.clarinetXpress.com
World-class Bass, Eb soprano, and soprano clarinet mouthpieces

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